


Work

by Airmid



Series: Misbehaving [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Crack Relationships, Dean Winchester Being Dean Winchester, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22277959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airmid/pseuds/Airmid
Summary: It all started with a simple case they were heading towards. But Lucifer was having a bad day and the war in heaven kept showing up.
Relationships: Lucifer & Sam Winchester, Lucifer/Michael (Supernatural), Michael/Sam Winchester
Series: Misbehaving [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600522
Kudos: 42





	Work

* * *

To his surprise, Dean had slapped his hand away from the takeout bag of sandwiches they had just gotten as he almost peeled out of the restaurant’s parking lot. There didn’t seem to be any explanation forthcoming as to this little development and Sam just folded his arms, perturbed and hungry, knowing Michael was now watching everything with sharp eyes.

Satan was curled up on the archangel in the backseat and Sam didn’t know what else to call it other than this was one of Lucifer’s bad days. He was uncertain as to what caused them, but the devil got withdrawn, his eyes very distant and Michael would sit with him. Sometimes he’d sing soft songs with words that barely qualified as such that Sam knew he would never understand. Lucifer could never be small but he seemed to be determined to be dialed into the size of a pinprick on these days. 

Dean being Dean wasn’t helping.

Around ten minutes later, as Sam was really contemplating going for the bag again, Dean pulled off the road into another parking lot and he realized where they were at. A small park off the main stretch that he recognized since he and Dean had traveled this road frequently enough to have stopped here before. There were some families on the other side of the area, kids yelling on the sawdust lined playground, clamoring around the brightly colored equipment or chasing each other through freshly mowed grass.

He realized what his brother wanted as the bag was grabbed and Dean was climbing out. It was a nice day after all, not too hot, the sun was out with a slight breeze. It would be good to stretch as they had a couple more hours till they hit where they were going, some sort of ghoul infestation that was starting to snack on the living and needed to be put down.

Sam wondered if monsters suffered over-population issues at times and were in need of more predators.

Michael was leading Lucifer away by the hand as he and Dean settled in at a picnic table. He already knew they were only visible to their eyes only, as the two angels sat at the base of a rather large tree. 

Dean took a large chunk out of his sandwich chewing it thoughtfully as Sam tried to at least eat like he wasn’t a starving man minutes away from dying. It was good though, that place made more than passable grinders. 

“Do you ever think Mike’s still mad with him?” his brother asked quietly.

It was a sensitive subject, one that they were always hesitant to bring up and Sam knew that archangel hearing could be a factor here.

He glanced out at them, sure Michael was singing again to the fallen angel curled up in arms.

“I think he won’t leave Luci,” Sam allowed. Probably overly cautious when what he wanted to say was yes, yes he still was and that contributed to the archangel’s temper issues at times. 

Along with many other things the archangel was upset over even if Michael refused to intervene in the war in heaven, merely saying he was currently retired. 

Not that either of them blamed him, but Cas was still fighting and Raphael apparently needed small words because nothing else was getting through to him that there would be no grand war and decimation of earth. 

Dean was fingering the few chips left on his napkin. Normally, Lucifer would have swiped them, gleefully, crunching them noisily just to be annoying. Now they sat undisturbed and not stolen and Dean paused, looking over at the two of them under the tree, Lucifer still looking like he wanted to vanish, before slowly eating them. 

They were crumpling up their papers from their sandwiches as the angels came back over and Lucifer wouldn’t look at him.

Sam wondered if he had done something wrong.

* * *

When they made it to the town with the overly friendly ghouls, thunderheads were building up, threatening a late spring storm. Sam was unhappy over this little development as it added the possibility of having to fight monsters in the pouring rain. A low rumble, not so distant, made that reality sink in deeper as they waited for Dean to get back from the office of the little crap joint they were staying at. 

His brother always insisted that rogue archangels should not be left alone unless absolutely necessary.

“Not a child,” Michael had said to that little revelation, eternally perturbed.

“This is why you shouldn't let them talk,” the devil had replied, and Michael had managed to look more pissed.

No one mentioned that maybe being left to their own devices wasn’t a good thing if they weren’t planning on accidentally destroying humanity. So, that rule stood, along with Sam being the designated angel sitter and he sighed.

At least Lucifer’s eyes were clearer now and maybe if they had any luck the passing storm would be over before they headed out tonight.

What luck Sam thought they maybe could invest in was shattered minutes after getting inside and having Cas suddenly fall into their space.

“Cas!”

Dean’s voice was panicked. The angel had blood on him, soaking through his shirt and onto his coat, a pallor he was certain that angels shouldn’t have as he staggered to a chair to sit. Sam swallowed as his brother went to him.

“Why did you not pray?” Michael demanded, Cas adverting his eyes, telling more than enough that trust issues were still a thing and a long Michael lecture was overdue again.

“I barely escaped. He did not believe me when I told him I had nothing to do with the Cage being open. Michael, he believes you to be corrupted since it is your protection that prevented my instant death.”

Oh God, Cas almost popped again and he knew Dean blamed himself somehow, seeing the grief twist his brother’s face.

All attention fell on the archangel in question whose eyes glowed brilliantly and Sam knew they were seeing heavenly wrath as a sword of fire fell into his hand. A nod to Lucifer and then he was gone, the air in the room caught in an invisible gust, whipping and turning against everything in its wake for a few seconds.

The devil moved forward, Dean was wary but Cas even worse, despite his beat-up status. Fingers pressed on his head and the wounds were gone, clothes clean and Sam was fairly certain Satan had even fixed his tie back to its normal level of crookedness.

“Thank you,” Cas said after a moment which was startling all by itself.

“It will take a while before you are fully yourself.”

Cas bowed his head and Dean was sitting himself down in a chair next to him. Lucifer came back over and guided him out the door by his elbow, barely touching, and Sam got it a little as they stepped out.

Of course, as soon as they got outside the first big drops of rain hit them, the thunder close.

Sam got them into the backseat of the car, not sure what else to do and having a feeling Michael wouldn’t want any of them to wander too far off just in case Raphael’s followers got some kind of brilliant idea. Michael’s extreme over-protectiveness with wards only extended to the places the archangel knew they were at, after all.

What surprised him was that Lucifer was pushed up against the far door, his eyes getting that cloudy look and Sam remembered it was a bad day for him. Maybe healing set it off more. He didn’t know; he wasn’t well versed in angel medicine.

No doubt he was only present due to Dean’s persistent and rather insane belief that someone should be around in case Lucifer rampaged. Sam wondered about his brother’s headspace if he thought anyone not named Michael could short-circuit one of those. Sam didn't blame him if Lucifer didn't want to listen to Dean's rant if anything at all happened and he had been alone.

“Luci,” he tried as a flash of light was followed instantly by thunder. The storm was right above.

Lucifer just kept staring at the seat in front of him and Sam was at a loss as to what to do. Yeah, Dean would point out that this was Satan, ruler of evil, so who cared if he was having a hard time even though his brother would secretly worry about it.

Somehow he managed to coax Lucifer over a bit more, trying Michael’s technique of getting him in his arms, Lucifer’s head on his shoulder, the body still far too tense. 

It was like Lucifer didn’t want to touch him at all and Sam didn’t know what to do with that.

He didn’t know any ancient songs of heaven or anything, so he just held him, occasionally stroking his hair. Later on, his back would probably hurt from leaning up like this in a cramped space but it was okay, a little bit of strain was okay for this and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t get far worse tonight. At least they already had a rough idea where the problem area was so they could do a bit of a stakeout and maybe have it done fast.

The deluge started, rain running rivers down the car, almost deafening, feeding his worry even more.

“I’m scared he won’t come back,” Sam whispered, listening to the storm and thinking of the war in heaven. “I don’t know how to help you and I’m terrified he won’t be able to come back.”

He paused, uncertain of what to say, getting the idea that Lucifer was trying to make himself smaller. Yeah, not a good move on his part to talk about secret fears of Michael dying up there when they couldn’t be there to help him, or if the archangel thought that after this he couldn’t come back.

“What I know is that we’re safe, and that’s enough for right now.”

He wanted to add that he wanted Lucifer here, even if he made himself a pain and pushed buttons, and was loud and flamboyant, but he didn't know how the devil would take that. Not well, he decided. Lucifer would probably be aghast if anything like that was said out loud, actually acknowledged, because he still had a thing about humans even if he secretly liked the ones he was with. 

Finally, Lucifer moved, wrapping his arm around Sam. It was tentative like he wasn’t sure he could touch like this and Sam realized that the devil rarely did. That it was Michael that he was all hands with and not the humans. 

Maybe that last part was the reason Lucifer was so tense right now as Satan finally relaxed in his arms, Sam watching the patterns made by the flood of water streaking down the windows as the storm raged on.

* * *

After taking a piss he had thoughts about a shower and immediately thought better of it because of ghouls in a few. He stretched, trying to loosen his muscles a bit from sitting in the car.

He wasn’t looking forward to more Dean muttering about helping Satan even if Lucifer was back to his usual self, complaining that Michael had left at all by the time said archangel returned and declared himself triumphant, expecting praise.

Sam didn't want to know how that little conversation with Raphael went down. Hopefully, it didn' t include something like 'Brother, leave me in peace to taste what Sam eats and watch TV with my little human.' He didn't need an angry Raphael in his life. Hopefully, Michael just flared himself out and said 'knock it off' and heaven cowered and backed off as it should. Retired or not, even looking human, he wasn't obtuse enough to not know Michael was the Prince of Heaven for a reason.

Though sometimes he forgot what a big ancient thing Michael was when he watched TV in his socks and squabbled with his fallen brother with Dean yelling for Luci to get out of the way of the screen and just sit his ass down.

And of course, his brother had blamed Lucifer for the bad weather and the mud they were going to have to deal with when they went to sniff out monsters. That whole latest bickering match was one of the main reasons he had disappeared himself into the bathroom, to begin with, besides his bladder, marveling at how Cas just sat there and stared off at a corner at the chaos around him. Sam swore he had been slightly amused, well, if he was an angel that could be amused and Sam wasn’t certain on that front yet. 

What he found when he went back out was Michael standing alone in the middle of the room and no one else around.

“They went to go get dinner.”

“Must be some dinner.” Because, yeah, Cas had still been here and if all three left together it was more of Michael openly suggesting they all get out for a few minutes and phrasing it as a not so kindly request.

He was close to asking if he had done something wrong when Michael said, “I love you, Sam Winchester.”

Sam swallowed, not sure what brought this on, what made the archangel announce something he had never said before, not in so many words, and with so much certainty. Sure, Sam felt it, knew it, never doubted it as crazy as it was, but he had never heard it before and the proper answering words got stuck in his throat at the shock.

Michael just came closer, watching him, fingers on his face. “There are many things that haunt my brother, Sam.” 

This was followed by a look that he should understand what some of those many things were.

Sam was pretty sure he’d get what that meant at a later time when he wasn’t wilting under the pure intensity of what Michael was at this moment. He was actually worried a little, that something had gone down in heaven when the angel let out a small sound.

“All I ask if for them to refrain from killing each other and from burning heaven and earth to the ground. I have never understood why that is such a hard concept for them.”

“Dean has a theory that all angels are psychopaths.”

“He may not be far from the truth, for once,” Michael said, and Sam had to smile at the way the angel said that, as if admitting his brother might have a point was still a hardship for him.

“I love you, too, you know.” Since that needed to be said because he didn’t know if he had ever said it either.

“I know.”

And with that Michael was kissing him, Sam hoping his brother took his sweet time getting dinner.


End file.
